Waste Water to Irrigate Parks and Gardens
-Ajit Seshadri
When cities face shortage of water supply, while domestic supply is sustained, the horticultural needs are not met. As a result public parks and gardens remain parched.
In such an urban scenario, while the dirty drains flow with waste water, parks are devoid of water for irrigation. Vigyan Vijay Foundation (VVF) an NGO from New Delhi has
implemented a plan to source dirty water and optimally process and make it fairly clean for watering the nearby parks.
The initiative was taken by the Vasant Vihar Resident Association way back in 2002, when they started raising funds for the project. A pilot plant with the technical
support of VVF yielded less than optimum quality water and more tests followed. In 2005, a Water treatment plant with a capacity of 35 kilo litres of water per day was completed at a total cost of Rs 7 lakhs. The recycled water is led to irrigate about
12 acres of public parks in residential areas.
The decentralized Waste Water Treatment System uses bio-settlers and filters like stones, plants, coconut kernel fibres and wood coal to treat drain water from the area.
VVF have also implemented a waste water treatment plant for CSE New Building at Tughlakabad Institutional Area.
Use of plants as bio remediers has lot of scope for flowing and stagnant water. We are yet to take this up on a large scale.
The Chennai Mathematical Institute, spread across five acres in Siruseri, has been using a reed bed including plants like Canna, Bannana and Yam for grey water
recycling in their premises. These plants keep the soil partially aerobic by pumping atmospheric oxygen to the roots, where some micro organisms live. These bacteria help in the break down on any suspended solids in the grey water.
The blooming flowers of Vasant Vihar Park are a reminder to all civic authorities and resident welfare associations that this is the way to go!
The author is Head, Environmental Wing at Vigyan Vijay Foundation.